


Night Swimming

by StarMaple



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Biting, Established Relationship, Finn POV, Fluff, M/M, PWP, Swimming, fear of water, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 19:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7003822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarMaple/pseuds/StarMaple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Resistance relocates to a new base on 3135-Besh, a planet so out of the way and small it doesn't even have a real name. What it does have, however, is a fantastic beach. Finn's never been to a beach! Poe has no interest in going, but Finn, as always, might be able to persuade him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Swimming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stitchy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stitchy/gifts).



> Thanks, as always, to my lovely beta and friend Stitchy, who is good at saying things on Skype that make me write fic instead of doing the thing I meant to do that day. But she usually draws art (see end note!) to make up for it, so I don't really mind.

Snap finds it on one of his reconnaissance runs, which is unsurprising. If any of Red or Blue squadron was going to find a new base location, it would be Snap. He has a certain instinct about finding things in the middle of space, from Starkiller to tiny habitable worlds. 

It’s so tiny and out of the way that even the star it orbits doesn’t have a name that they can find on any maps, but Snap brings back plenty of holos and data readouts. Uninhabited aside from local fauna. Breathable atmosphere and a large flat grassy plain they can stage the base in. Subterranean fresh water that will be easy enough to pull up with a well. Gravity within ideal parameters. Out of the way enough so as to be hidden from the remainder of the First Order but close enough to be within striking distance of the main hyperlanes. 

Once the decision to relocate is made, all of D’Qar is turned towards the task of packing up. In the few rest hours they have, however, Snap’s holos are eagerly analyzed for something other than strategic reasons. 

“Oh! Look at that beach!” Jess is sighing dreamily as she goes through the images in the mess the next day. “Snap, I could kiss you.” 

“Please don’t,” Snap says, scooting a little further down the bench. 

Finn muffles a chuckle and looks at the image. There’s a wide swathe of pink sand which runs in bands ranging from a pale petal pink to a deeper rosy color along the coastline. The oceans are a near primary blue. It’s striking to be sure, and the metadata of the image indicates that both the water and air temperature would be quite pleasant. Jess flips to the next image-- this time the grassy meadow where they plan to start construction. It’s beautiful in it’s own way, purple wildflowers dotting the grass and a few stubby trees. 

Next to him, Poe tuts. “Needs more trees,” he says, pressed along Finn’s side from knee to shoulder. They got over the need for personal space a few weeks after Finn woke up. Finn doesn’t mind at all. 

Jess gapes at Poe. “Okay, come on, I know you come from a forest moon, so you’re going to be weird about trees, but look at that water! That’s not inviting to you?”

Poe makes a scoffing noise at that and refuses to participate while the rest of the pilots make plans to acquire swimwear and beach games. 

Finn asks Poe about it later that night as they’re getting ready for bed. “Why don’t you like the beach? Everyone else seems to,” he says, pulling his shirt over his head, muscles protesting from an entire duty shift of packing and moving transit containers. Poe’s not much better, if the sound he made falling into bed was any indication. “Can’t you swim?” 

“I can swim,” Poe says, and Finn’s not sure if it’s defensive or if that’s just the pillow he’s face down in muffling his voice. Finn crawls into bed next to him, and Poe turns onto his side to pull him into his arms. “Can’t be a Republic pilot without passing a swim test… just in case you crash down in water. I don’t mind pools.” 

It sounds like only half a thought, so Finn prompts him. “But you _do_ mind..?” 

Poe makes another grumbling sound against Finn’s shoulder. “Natural water. Water on Yavin IV is mostly swampy, and even in places where you might find a clear pool, there are _things_ in the water. Bitey things.” He gnaws gently on Finn’s shoulder to illustrate. 

Finn chuckles. 

“You laugh, but I’ve got a scar on my thigh from getting pushed in some mudhole as a kid. Something took a _chunk_ out of me!” 

“I wondered what that was,” Finn says, reaching down to rub over where he knows the small patch of puckered skin is on Poe’s leg. 

“Something _ate_ part of me. It chewed me up, and used _my_ protein to grow itself bigger.” He shudders. 

“I looked at Snap’s survey reports. Most of the fauna in the water near the shoreline are pretty small and aren’t carnivorous,” he says. The other pilots have made the beach sound like something very fun to do. He’s not very fond of sand, after Jakku, but the water certainly made things a little different. “Seems a shame if all the other pilots are going.” He grins. “Strength in numbers?” 

“You first,” Poe says, shifting a little uncomfortably next to him. 

Finn makes a thoughtful noise. “I’ve never swum before.” 

“What? Never?” 

Finn shrugs, but gently, so he doesn’t jostle Poe’s head with his shoulder. “Couldn’t take off the armor, and if we went in the water in the armor we’d drown. There were some amphibious units, but I wasn’t ever in them, so…”

Poe places a gentle kiss to Finn’s shoulder. Finn had asked Poe to stop apologizing and comforting whenever the First Order was brought up, and Poe’s done his best, putting all his feelings in these small kisses, instead of words. They’re easier for Finn to take. “You can go without me, you know,” Poe finally says. “Snap can teach you to swim. He’s great at it.” 

Finn makes a face. “Nah. Wouldn’t be any fun without you,” he says with a smile, and kisses Poe’s forehead. “We can plant trees until you’re satisfied instead.” 

Poe grumbles at the light dig, Finn thinks mostly because it’s expected of him, because he settles himself and falls asleep just a moment later. 

 

The official designation of the planet, as far as anyone can tell, is 3135-Besh, which is a terrible name for a beautiful world. According to Poe, they’ve never set up a base this fast. Everyone rushes through their tasks, no matter how arduous, with a day on the beach on the horizon as a reward. 

Snap is regaled as a hero of the Resistance, and his new quarters fill to overflowing with gifted food and drink.

Everyone signs off that they’ve read the xenobiologist’s report: The Sullustians are advised to stay away from the little pink berries on the bushes in the meadow. Humans are told about 50% of them will likely be allergic to the sap on the trees with the big yellow leaves. There are some insects that might actually be an excellent protein source for the five insectavore species on base. There is nothing in the report to indicate that the beach is dangerous to anyone. 

Finn wraps up his first duty shift and goes looking for Poe, who should be off as well. He walks the halls, checking the usual recreation facilities-- the mess, gym and lounges-- but not only are they devoid of Poe, they’re empty of _everyone_. 

He finds Poe in the hangar, because Poe finds tinkering with Black One recreational. “I think everyone who can be at the beach is at the beach,” he says, coming to sprawl on the tarmac next to Poe’s toolbox and BB-8, “except for you and me. I’ve never seen a base so empty.” 

Poe gives him a knowing look and then reaches out a hand. “Hydrospanner, please,” he requests. Finn digs through the toolbox and then slaps the requested tool into Poe’s palm and Poe turns back to the engine in front of him. “If you wanna go, you should go.” 

BB-8 turns her head and burbles something at Finn, and he looks to Poe for translation. 

Poe chuckles. “If you go, take BB-8. She wants to go too.” 

“I didn’t think you liked sand… or water, for that matter,” Finn tells her. She tilts her head to the side, what he figures is her version of a shrug, and tootles at him. 

“She just wants to see it,” Poe translates, and that’s pretty much how Finn feels too. A lot of the components of the beach-- sand, undrinkable water, no shade, things living in the water-- aren’t appealing at all by themselves, and yet it’s drawing people in like a magnet, so it must somehow be more than the sum of its parts. Still, Finn makes no move to get up. 

“It’ll still be there tomorrow, and however long we stay here.” He turns to dig in the toolbox, trying to anticipate whatever tool Poe will need next. Being in Poe’s company is still how he prefers to spend his free time. 

Poe sighs and twists to hand him back the hydrospanner. Finn’s already offering out the Harris wrench on a hunch when Poe waves him off. “No, no. Pack it up.” Finn raises both eyebrows in surprise, as Poe continues, “Come on. The beach will always be there, but the party won’t be. Let’s go check it out.” 

BB-8 twirls and chirps what has to be ‘Hooray!’ and Finn grins as he locks up the toolbox and hands it over to Poe so he can put it away. 

 

They can hear the beach before they see it, walking across the meadow and then finally they crest the little rise overlooking the water. It’s honestly overwhelming-- Finn’s not sure what to take in first, the beauty of the waves and the awe at water stretching out all the way to the horizon, or the mass of people below them: swimming, eating, playing games, or just laying down on the sand and reading datapads. BB-8 gives a low whistle and Finn must stand staring too long because Poe takes his hand and tugs him towards the end of the grass. 

“Come on, I can see Snap,” he says, with a toss of his head in the right direction, and Finn lets himself be pulled along to where Snap has rigged up some sort of awning to provide some shade and he’s sitting underneath on a towel distributing his drinkable gifts. 

The sensation of sand shifting under his boots isn’t pleasant, but this planet isn’t as oppressively hot as Jakku, and Poe’s hand in his is a nice change. 

Snap looks up at them as they approach. “Hey Poe. Surprised to see you here. I thought you were gonna sit under the one tree taller than you are and bitch about the terrain.” BB-8 twitters a laugh and finds a spot for herself in the shade, taking in all the activities and people around her eagerly through her photoreceptors. 

Poe snorts. “I’m probably allergic to the sap,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, didn’t want Finn to miss the party.” 

Snap pats the ground next to him. “Pull up some sand. Take off your boots and stay awhile,” he says, reaching into an insulated crate to offer out some cold drinks to each of them. Finn watches as Poe accepts his and folds down to sit on the sand. Finn does the same and copies carefully as Poe takes off each boot and rolls up the cuffs of his trousers. 

He’s careful about putting his feet back on the surface of the sand, expecting it to burn like Jakku, but it’s just warm-- the kind that sinks in deep. He wriggles his toes underneath the surface experimentally and beneath it’s cooler and a little bit damp, even this far away from the water. 

“Admit it. It’s great here,” Snap says, leaning back on his hands and smirking over at Poe. 

Poe shrugs. “It’s better than Hoth,” he says flatly, but breaks into a grin when Snap gives him a good hard shove. 

“Better than Hoth,” Snap parrots disdainfully and turns to look at Finn. “You are a saint for putting up with this ungrateful bastard.” 

Finn laughs as Poe does, and he turns to look at Poe, taking in the crinkled corners of his eyes and the little gap between his front teeth. “He’s grateful about other things,” Finn says fondly and then happily receives a kiss for it. 

“So what do _you_ think of the beach, Finn?” Snap asks. Poe leans back, still grinning, and takes a swig from the container in his hand. 

Finn takes a moment to think about it. “It’s… different. I thought it would be like Jakku, but with water, but it’s nicer. It’s relaxing.” There’s something about the way the sun soaks into his back that eases the constant ache in the muscles there, and the sound of the waves is soothing the way Poe’s heartbeat is soothing. 

“There, you see?” Snap says to Poe with a grin. “And you haven’t even been in the water yet. The water is _perfect_.” 

Finn looks out at the waves. The water is definitely appealing, but every Mon Calamari on base is navigating the water expertly, and he thinks that’s Jess he can see swimming back and forth with a competent stroke. It’s a little intimidating, because he knows, even if swimming is easy, there will be that awkward period of splashing around where he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he doesn’t really want an audience for that. He digs his toes a little deeper into the sand, rooting himself to where he is sitting. 

“I told Finn you could take him out, if he wanted to go,” Poe tells Snap. “That all right?” 

Snap rolls his eyes. “Nothing out there is going to eat you! The Mon Calamari have been out there since 0900, and not so much as a nibble.” He pauses, and when Poe’s expression stays stubbornly set, he laughs. “Stars, Poe. Every aquatic creature in the galaxy is not just waiting for you to show up to get hungry.” 

“It’s okay,” Finn says. “I didn’t bring swimming clothes with me anyway.” 

“Go for a wade!” Snap says. Poe takes another drink and crosses his arms. “Poe, take your boyfriend to get his feet wet in the ocean.” Snap puts his hand in the middle of Poe’s back and tries to push him upright. “I swear that if you feel so much as a nibble, I will send my best bottle of Corellian brandy to the medical bay to aid your recovery.” 

Poe sighs and climbs to his feet, setting his drink in the sand firmly enough that it stays upright. “You don’t have any Corellian brandy,” Poe says. “You have some outpost moonshine that happens to be in an old Corellian brandy bottle. Last time I tried some I nearly went blind.” He offers a hand out to Finn even as Snap laughs at him. Finn does the same with his drink as Poe did with his, and when he’s relatively certain it’ll stay put, he lets Poe pull him to his feet. 

“Are we really doing this?” Finn asks, because he’d been fairly certain that Poe was downright adamant about avoiding the water. 

“For you? Anything.” Poe smiles, and resolutely leads them towards the water. “Besides, I’m looking forward to you nursing me back to health when I lose a limb.” Finn bumps his hip against Poe’s, chidingly. 

It’s strange, walking barefoot across the sand. The closer they get to the water, the cooler and firmer the sand gets. Also, Poe’s grip on his hand increases exponentially. 

Once they get to where the sand is really wet, his foot sinks in strangely and he leaps back, instantly thinking of the sinking sands on Jakku, but it’s only a few centimeters and no one else around them seems to be panicking. Poe stands a few steps ahead of him, looking down at his own feet in the sand and moving his toes. 

“I think it just does this,” Poe says. “It’s like mud, but not.” 

Together, they continue their forward progress. Finn watches the waves form a dozen yards out, first a swell, and then a crest, and then the break onto the shore and a sheet of foam that blankets the pink sand only to retreat again a moment later. The waves are unpredictable, he notes. One wave will barely wet the visible sand and the next could do the same or rush up the beach for yards. 

The two of them walk right up to where the last sheet of foam stopped. Poe digs his toes into the sand just short of it. Finn watches as another wave rolls in and the foamy water comes at them fast. It doesn’t look like it’ll stop where the previous wave did, and Finn’s eager to see what it feels like as it goes over his toes. Poe notices it too late, and it gets his feet wet before he manages to dance back with a yelp of alarm. 

Finn tries not to laugh at him, still holding his hand. The water rushes around Finn’s ankles, makes him slip just a little deeper into the sand, and then flows out again with a strange little pull at his heels like it wants him to follow it. 

“I wasn’t ready for it,” Poe says, still as far away from the water line as the length of their arms will allow. 

“It’s nice,” Finn says. “Not too cold at all.” He tugs his pant cuffs higher with one hand, bunching them over his calves. “I’m going to go a little further out. Do you want to come with?” he offers. He’s not going to make Poe come with him if he doesn’t want to go. 

“Nothing nibbled?” Poe checks. 

Finn shakes his head. Poe groans but finds his resolve and they step towards the water together, the only sign of Poe’s lingering hesitance in the grip on Finn’s hand. 

When the next wave comes, Finn marches right into it rather than letting it come to them. To Poe’s credit, there’s only a hesitating step and a tiny hissed breath, and then Poe follows him out until they’re both standing in water up to their calves.

They stop then, and Finn looks out towards the water. It’s blue towards the horizon, but clear up close. He bends over to touch it, letting it rush around his hand, distorting the image of his feet against the pale sand. He imagines his whole body submerged in it-- swimming, like Jess, or bobbing gently further out like the Mon Calamari-- and the idea is a pleasant one. Maybe like his hazy memories of the bacta tank but without the pain and claustrophobia. 

He glances over at Poe, who is investigating the water himself. Finn thinks Poe doesn’t realize he’s smiling yet. “So what do you think?” Finn prompts. 

“It’s not terrible,” Poe hedges.

Finn lifts their joined hands to his mouth and playfully bites one of Poe’s knuckles. Poe looks up at him in surprise. 

“What was that for?” Poe asks. 

“You looked like you were waiting for something to bite you, so…” Finn grins broadly. “Now we can go about our day.” 

Poe laughs, leans in and kisses him, and it’s like the sunshine warming his back, but from the inside out. “Okay, I guess I’m not gonna die,” Poe sighs, like the admission was dragged out of him, “and the water _is_ pretty nice. Should we go back to base, find some swimwear and get you out there?” 

Finn hums, knowing it’s not the enthusiastic response Poe’s expecting. “This is fine for now,” he says, watching the Mon Calamari move effortlessly along. 

“Really?” Poe asks, a confused frown creasing his forehead. “I don’t mind.” The frown changes to a grin. “I figure you can protect me from any monsters lurking out there somewhere.”

Finn chuckles at him. “That’s true. I can.” He nods firmly. 

Poe hears what he doesn’t say. “But?” 

He sighs. “But everyone out there is already really good at swimming, and I don’t want to get in their way, splashing around while I learn.” He shrugs, kicking his leg against the water and feeling the drag against his shin. 

“It’s a big beach, Finn! There’s enough room for everyone.” 

Finn makes a face. “Maybe later. When it’s overcast there might be fewer people. I can wait.” He swings Poe’s hand. “Just this is nice.” And it is. He closes his eyes, feels the sunshine on his face, smells the marine air, and feels the rhythmic pull of the water against his bare legs. 

Poe kisses the corner of his mouth and he smiles. This is perfect. 

 

Poe takes him by the hand and leads him back to their room after dinner a few days later, grinning broadly. 

“What’s up?” Finn asks, confused, but smiling back. Whatever it is, Poe’s happy about it, so it’ll be good. 

“I got you a present,” Poe responds, and when they step inside the room, Poe hands him a small bundle of cloth proudly. 

Finn unfolds it. It’s a pair of shorts. He frowns. He’s not sure shorts are quite worthy of that kind of excitement. “Thanks?” 

Poe snorts at him, still grinning. “Come on and put ‘em on. We’re going swimming.” 

Finn glances sharply to the window, suddenly wondering if he’d lost half a planet-day, but no, it’s still dark outside. “Poe, it’s night!” 

Poe chuckles and turns to go gather towels from the ‘fresher and his own swim shorts. “Yeah, we’ll have the water all to ourselves!” He turns back again, must see the skepticism on Finn’s face. “Hey,” he says, reassuringly. “It’s still plenty warm outside. I’ve got this all planned out. It’ll be fun. Maybe even a little romantic?” he suggests, hopefully. 

If there is anything in the galaxy that Finn knows, it’s that he’ll always follow where Poe leads. He knows Poe will do the same for him. Even if it’s a fiasco, it’s an entertaining one. He smiles. “Let’s go for a swim.” 

 

“I spotted it from the air,” Poe is saying proudly, holding the glowlamp aloft. “Figured we should start somewhere where you wouldn’t have to fight a current.” Poe’s led him to a deep, calm pool, cut off by low tide. Finn can see the waves a few meters away, white foam lit by starlight. “Can’t really do laps or anything, but I can teach you to float and tread water here, which are really the first two steps.” 

It’s quiet, aside from the waves, and in the close darkness it feels like they’re the only ones on the whole planet. The stars are overhead and reflected in the calm water, and as Poe puts the towels down on the sand behind him, Finn toes off his boots and takes a careful step into the water. It’s pleasantly warm still, and at first he thinks the ripples he stirs up just catch the light from the glowlamp strangely, but then he realises it’s something more than that. 

“Poe. Poe! Turn off the light!” he calls excitedly. 

“What? Why? What’s wrong?” Poe asks, sounding alarmed, but he does as requested, of course, and when the light shuts off, Finn can see he’s right. He stirs the water again, taking another step deeper into the pool, and the water he’s disturbed gives off a strange, blue-green glow. 

He looks up with a broad grin. “What is this?” 

Poe makes a surprised, pleased sound. “Bioluminescence, I think. Tiny organisms that give off a glow when they’re disturbed.” He toes off his shoes. “I wonder if anyone else has noticed?” 

“Is it safe?” Finn asks, wide eyed. This might explain how the foam from the distant waves seems to catch more starlight than it should. It’s lit from within. 

“Should be. Maybe don’t drink it, though,” Poe teases, like he might be tempted to drink seawater without a warning, and then slips into the pool next to him, wading right into the deeper part. He’s limned with light as he does, the glow clinging to his skin until he settles again. It steals Finn’s breath to watch him. Poe moves an arm gently through the water in front of himself and it’s like he controls a tiny aurora. He wonders if this is what Rey sees when she looks at the world with the Force. It couldn’t be more beautiful. 

Poe reaches out a hand to him and Finn takes it, letting Poe pull him in. It’s a strange feeling, water pushing against him everywhere, but also making him feel like he weighs less, the deeper he gets. The water sparkles all around him as Poe pulls him chest deep and close. Poe’s looking up at him hopefully. 

“This is maybe a _lot_ romantic,” Finn admits with a smile. 

“Mission accomplished,” Poe murmurs and leans in to kiss him. In the water, everything feels dreamy and slow motion. Poe’s hands go to his waist, Finn’s hands go to Poe’s back, each movement must trigger a light show that he’s not even aware of, eyes closed as Poe’s lips press wetly against his. Poe’s always been a good kisser, but they’ve been together long enough now that Poe knows exactly how Finn likes to be kissed. Firm and deep and, if they’re feeling a little playful, a little nip to Finn’s full lower lip. 

Finn actually misses the bite at the end of the kiss because Poe’s hands tighten on his waist and then a moment later Finn is being _lifted up_. 

As his toes come off the sand he yelps and flails a bit, throwing both arms around Poe’s neck with a splash. Poe laughs, even though he just got a wave of glowing water in the face and his curls are dripping wet, hanging heavy over his forehead. “Sorry. Just wanted to see if I could do it.” 

“You’re pretty cocky for someone who couldn’t put a toe in the water the other day,” Finn says, laughing back, and settling against him, chest to chest. 

“I fully checked this pool for sea monsters before bringing you here. I’m feeling pretty confident.” He winks and leans in to kiss the corner of Finn’s smile. “So, treading water…” he starts, slipping away to where the pool is deepest, showing Finn how to churn the water with his limbs to keep his head above water. 

It’s a strange motion for him, the looping movements of his hands and legs, nothing like the rigid marching which used to feel like the only way he’d ever be able to move, but he’s proved he’s capable of so much more, and he’s confident that Poe can teach him. Poe stays within reach, in case he’s needed, but Finn gets the hang of it eventually, and the few times his head does slip below the surface of the water, he comes up grinning a moment later before Poe can even step in to pull him up. 

The bioluminescence makes it easier, actually. It’s a magical feeling, to start such a beautiful chain reaction, and the movements he’s supposed to be making seem to be ideally suited to making the water react. He finds himself caring less about staying afloat and more about keeping the magic going, seeing how bright he can get it, watching the light reflect dimly off Poe’s slick skin. 

“I think you’ve got it,” Poe says slowly, and probably later than he should have, but his eyes are fixed on Finn like Finn must be looking at Poe, half-naked and ethereal in the strange blue light. Finn smiles slowly back and lets Poe reel him back in to where his feet can touch bottom.

“What’s the next lesson?” Finn asks, admittedly a little cheekily. He still feels weightless and slow and Poe presses more kisses into his lips and skin as either a reward or because he can’t help himself. Finn returns them because he can’t help himself. 

“Lay back,” Poe murmurs, pulling away just enough to discourage more kissing with a little smile. 

Finn gives him a wry grin. “I feel like I’ve heard that before…” he teases, but complies, letting his neck and head fall back into the water. Poe’s hand is there to meet his body when it does, as a support to keep him stabilized. 

“I don’t think it’s steered us wrong yet,” Poe smirks, and puts his other hand at the small of Finn’s back, as Finn chuckles. “All right,” Poe continues. “Let your arms go loose and rise to the surface of the water… good.” Finn leans back more and more, until, with a little help from Poe pushing up on his tailbone, his hips come up to the surface of the water too. “I won’t let go until you ask me to,” Poe reassures, keeping Finn steady as he finds his equilibrium. 

Finn says, “I’m good,” a moment later, and Poe lets his hands fall from Finn’s back cautiously. It’s not quite like zero-g training, but he still knows better than to wildly overcorrect. He splashes a little tipping too far one way or the other or letting his hips fall too deeply below the water, but he works his way through it, figuring out the right balance of completely relaxed and engaged core to keep him above the water.

It’s only then that he looks up. He feels weightless. The stars above are making slow progress across the dome of the sky. Below him, the stars in the water are lighting up in his peripheral vision. It’s like he’s at the center of the whole universe. He smiles, and Poe seems to take it as a sign to cautiously take his hand, careful not to disturb his balance. 

“You’re a natural,” Poe murmurs. 

“I’ve got a good teacher,” Finn says back. He waves his free hand a bit in the water, and finds it’s enough propulsion to start him on a slow orbit around Poe. “I’m really glad you faced your fears, even if it was just to spend this time with me. This is so beautiful.” 

“I’ve found taking a risk for you usually pays off for me,” Poe smiles. 

“You cut it pretty close though. If you had sent me out here with Snap to learn how to swim, the mood would have been impossible to overcome. We probably would have had to run away together.” Finn shakes his head sadly, looking up at Poe before dissolving into laughter. 

Poe yanks hard enough at Finn’s hand that it wrecks his balance and he flails a bit, splashing bright water over them both before he finds his feet, still grinning. “I would like to think,” Poe says, pulling him close, “that I have a better sense of self-preservation than arranging a romantic starlit swimming session in a glow pond for the man I love and someone who isn’t me.” Poe presses his lips to Finn’s neck, which really isn’t fair, as far as Finn is concerned. 

“You cannot take credit for the glowing! You didn’t know about it!” Finn declares, laughing so he doesn’t just melt against Poe. “That was just a happy accident.” 

“Finding you was a happy accident. Finding you _again_ was a happy accident. I think we should just assume the Force loves us at this point and stop being so surprised,” Poe says, matter of factly. 

“The Force doesn’t need to try so hard. I’m already yours,” Finn says fondly, reaching up to push Poe’s sodden curls back from his forehead. 

“Well, that’s nice to hear,” Poe beams back at him, tipping his head into Finn’s hand. 

Finn takes it as the hint that it is and draws his fingers through Poe’s thick hair. “You think the Force used Snap to find you such a romantic planet?” Finn asks, unable to resist needling Poe one more time. 

Poe makes a face. “Let’s keep Snap out of our love life, please.” 

Finn laughs at the reaction he gets, and leans forward to kiss the scowl off Poe’s face. “Too bad about the name, though. 3135-Besh?” He wrinkles his nose and then looks around himself again at the sparkling water and twinkling sky. Takes in the sound of the waves and the warmth in the air. Surely a planet like this should have a beautiful name to match. 

Poe dips his head forward and leaves one of those apologetic kisses on Finn’s shoulder. He’s thinking about Finn in the First Order again, and Finn thinks he knows why. “I bet someone who loves it will give it the perfect name eventually,” Poe says at last, and slips his arms around Finn’s back to hold him close, as they bob together in the glowing water. 

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  [art by stitchyarts on tumblr ](http://stitchyarts.tumblr.com/tagged/star%20wars)


End file.
